MY Camper Yucong He: Applied mathamatics to bridge the abyss between uncertain and certain
15-year-old Yucong He from China is interested in hidden rules, scientific explanations to phenomena, and uncertainties that could be solved by science and mathematics.
Yucong He from China.
“I’m fascinated by a film called The Matrix, which integrates mathematics, science, history, and philosophy. The four elements are my interests, too,” says 15-year-old Yucong He from China. He studies at Shenzhen Middle School.
Yucong says that the theme of The Matrix, the hidden rules in our world, fascinates him. “When I was young, I released a ball from a certain height, watching it make a beeline through the air, then I picked it up, released it from the same height, and found that the motion of the ball is the same, the motion is predictable.”
Yucong says that he later discovered that the rules of gravity were behind this phenomenon and learned about air density, damping, friction, aerodynamics and so on. It is even more thrilling that the rules behind many phenomena are still unknown.
“It is not only about the ball, but about every tiny thing, every aspect in our life. Applied mathematics, in a way, is a great attempt to build a bridge across the abyss between uncertainty and certainty, and that’s why it has become my interest,” he says.
Six months ago Yucong heard about MY Camp and according to him, “finding out about this high-quality activity was like finding gold buried in the sand.”
“One important characteristic, which distinguishes MY Camp from other summer camps is that it is free,” Yucong says, and adds that there are many camps around the area he lives in but all of them cost money and everyone, who pay can join. The asset of MY Camp is that the application process is competitive, so only the most motivated ones are chosen.
Yucong is in MY Camp’s Applied Mathematics theme group, and for the second phase of MY Camp application process he studied mathematical models behind vaccination programs.
Even though mathematics fascinates him, Yucong has not yet made up his mind what he would like study after high school. “Yesterday is a history, tomorrow is a mystery, but just like a skyscraper that needs a solid base, what I have to do today, I think, is building the base for the future, step by step.”
In addition to science, Yucong is interested in singing, playing basketball, and the game of Go (Weiqi, in Chinese). “Reading is also my favorite. It helps me understand the world,” he says. And to take a broader look into the global problems of today, Yucong has also taken part in the Model United Nation.
Have a look at Yucong’s project plan: Ideas on Vaccination Policy.
Like during the previous years, MyScience will introduce each MY Camper and offer news, videos and photos during the Camp. Stay tuned, but in the meantime watch videos and photos from MY Camp 2010 and MY Camp 2011.
Read more about Millennium Youth Camp from Finland’s Science Education Centre LUMA’s website.
Elisa Lautala works as web editor for University of Helsinki's Faculty of Science. Elisa likes all kinds of cultural events, good books, warm weather, and aqua-jogging.